CFZ

Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah are fighting.
It wasn’t exactly surprising.
Even in this life, they had sparred a few times.

Not often, but enough that I’d seen them cross swords now and then.
The results had never been clear.
Those spars weren’t about deciding a winner—they were about sharpening their blades against each other. Neither of them had ever been truly serious.

It was always just practice.
That’s why I hadn’t given it much thought this time either.
‘A quick spar, nothing more.’

Or so I’d assumed.
Screeeech—!!
Crackle—!!!
“...”

Something had gone terribly wrong.
The longer the fight dragged on, the clearer that became.
The sheer intensity of the energy flooding the air made it hard to breathe.

Kiiiiiiiii—!!
The sharp, tearing sound of swords slicing through the air felt like it was ripping space apart.
Golden shards of light shimmered wherever the sword auras clashed.

At a glance, the scene might’ve been called beautiful.
But—
Screech! Screeeech—!!
The rain of sword °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° auras made it impossible to appreciate the beauty.

Flashes of light filled the sky, as if countless crescent moons had been carved out of the air.
Calling them mere sword winds didn’t do their strength or destructive power justice.
And with each burst of energy, it was obvious just how much Qi was being expended.

‘Now that I think about it… Wi Seol-ah’s energy reserves aren’t normal.’
I’d seen her struggle with skill or stamina before—but never with Qi capacity.
It meant her dantian and vessel were unusually vast.

She was hurling out firepower based on raw reserves, but—
‘Her control is just as terrifying as her power.’
Despite the chaotic bursts of Qi, her flying swords remained perfectly synchronized, rotating and maneuvering with precision.

They acted as distractions and traps, constantly changing the flow of the battle.
Controlling sword auras while simultaneously manipulating flying swords—
It was such a ridiculous feat that even the onlookers’ expressions told the whole story.

How could someone so small and delicate wield such explosive strength and control?
It defied every expectation of what a martial artist should be capable of.
Not only did she possess this level of power, but she wielded it with such mastery that it clearly wasn’t just luck or talent.

Wi Seol-ah was an outlier, breaking every rule of martial arts logic.
And while the spectators reeled in disbelief—
Crackle—!

What was even more astonishing—
Crack-crack-crack—!!!
—was that her opponent matched her blow for blow.

Zap—!
Thunder Qi erupted from Namgung Bi-ah’s feet, surging outward like a massive wave.
The streaks of electricity branched out, splitting into countless arcs that all raced toward the incoming sword auras.

Boom—! Boom-boom—!!
The moment Qi and sword aura collided, explosions rippled through the air.
And it didn’t happen just once.

Namgung Bi-ah’s thunder Qi spread in countless branches, relentlessly striking at every sword aura.
Boom! Boom-boom-boom—!!
The skies were filled with flashes and detonations as the golden sword auras shattered one by one.

Even the flying swords, orbiting defensively, were suddenly bombarded with thunder strikes.
This wasn’t luck.
There was no way random arcs of lightning could strike so accurately—

This was precision—the result of perfect calculations.
Just as Wi Seol-ah had shown explosive power paired with control,
Namgung Bi-ah proved herself to be no different.

Fwoooosh—!!!
The aftermath of their clash lit up the sky like daytime stars.
Blue and gold fragments mixed and scattered like a falling galaxy.

It was breathtaking—
But there was no time to appreciate the view.
Clang—! Screeeech—!!

The fight shifted instantly to close combat.
Both refused to back down, their killing intent filling the air.
Clang! Screeeech—!

Their blades clashed in rapid succession, each impact accompanied by shockwaves and sparks.
Even their footwork was flawless—so precise it resembled an intricate dance.
Clang! Clang! Clang-clang—!!

Each blow echoed with weight, announcing the raw power packed into their strikes.
Swoooosh—!!
Feints filled the gaps—flickers of movement aimed to deceive.

Attacks feigned high only to strike low.
Left-side feints disguised sudden thrusts from the right.
Countless moments where a single mistake could end the fight.

And yet, they repeated these exchanges hundreds of times.
‘…Damn.’
The level of this fight was insane.

Watching it, all I could do was let out a helpless laugh.
‘They’re incredible…’
I knew they were growing stronger—but I never imagined this much growth.

They weren’t just strong—
They understood their own strength and wielded it flawlessly.
Watching them felt like—

‘I’m seeing ghosts from my past life.’
Not this life’s Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah—
But the Demon Sword Queen and the Little Sword Star.

Back then, the Demon Sword Queen had been as ruthless as any Sword Demon—
While the Little Sword Star had built her fame hunting demons and cleansing their corruption.
This fight felt like watching those legends clash.

The only difference was—
‘They’re not trying to kill each other.’
Unlike their past lives, there was no killing intent in their strikes.

When was it, again?
I remembered the time those two had fought seriously.
Back then, the Demon Sword Queen had tried to stall for time while the Little Sword Star prepared to purge the demon horde.

The Little Sword Star wielded holy power, deadly to demonic beings—
But the Demon Sword Queen wasn’t a demon.
Instead, she had to hold the line alone, breaking the Martial Alliance’s forces and buying time for reinforcements.

But—
‘I was too late back then.’
 

The delay had caused me to arrive later than planned.
Worried that something might have happened, I rushed to the destination.
And the sight I saw then…

‘…It was too terrifying to forget.’
The image of those two women, radiating killing intent as they clashed, was still burned into my memory.
The surroundings were already in ruins, a scene of utter devastation.

Both were covered in blood, clearly wounded.
They looked like they could collapse at any moment, yet neither showed the slightest intention of backing down.
It was brutal—there was no other way to describe it.

Yes, brutal was the only fitting word.
They fought as if nothing but death could resolve their anger.
Had there been a verbal argument before the fight?

Given the animosity between the Demonic Cult and the Martial Alliance, it wasn’t strange for them to fight like that.
But looking back, something about it felt off.
It wasn’t just a battle between enemies.

No—
It was a duel of blood.
A fight where they had sworn never to lose.

It was as if losing meant losing something vital—something they couldn’t bear to give up.
And yet, in the end, no winner was decided.
Because I stepped in before it could happen.

Had I let it continue, one of them would have died—and I couldn’t bear to watch that happen.
So, in the end, I stopped the fight.
Afterward, I had asked the Demon Sword Queen—

“Weren’t you just supposed to stall for time? Why did you fight so desperately?”
And she had replied—
“There are things… I can’t give up.”

A cryptic answer, one I couldn’t fully understand at the time.
It sounded like she simply couldn’t let go.
‘If they’d kept fighting back then…’

The Demon Sword Queen would have lost.
I was certain of that.
She had sustained more injuries, including a wound dangerously close to her vitals.

At the rate she was bleeding, she wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
Maybe things would have been different if she had used her Thunder Fang.
But—

‘The Little Sword Star wasn’t fighting at full power either.’
Neither of them had gone all out.
Even so, the Demon Sword Queen would have lost.

That’s what I thought back then.
But now—
Smack—!

Things seemed different this time.
“Ugh!”
With a rough sound, Wi Seol-ah was sent flying.

‘Damn it.’
I had let my mind wander and missed what happened.
What hit her?

From the sound, it wasn’t a sword.
Screech—!!
Wi Seol-ah stabbed her sword into the ground to stop herself from sliding further.

The momentum stopped immediately—but—
Crackle—!!
“…Tsk!”

Namgung Bi-ah had already closed the distance, her sword slicing down.
Wi Seol-ah was in a bad position to block.
Realizing that, she made a split-second decision.

Clink—!
She dropped her sword.
And then—

“Hmph!”
She gathered Qi into her fist and slammed it into the ground.
Boom—!!

The ground shattered, sending debris flying everywhere.
The sudden dust cloud obscured her from view.
But Namgung Bi-ah didn’t hesitate.

Her sword shifted trajectories mid-swing—
Slash—!
From a straight line to a diagonal cut, slicing through the debris.

Clang—!
“Urgh!”
The blade connected—but the sound was wrong.

It hadn’t struck flesh.
The debris had slowed the attack just enough for Wi Seol-ah to react.
Now she held a new sword—not her usual blade, but one of her flying swords forged from Qi.

Of course, its durability was poor.
It shattered the moment it blocked Namgung Bi-ah’s attack.
Crackle—!!

Thunder Qi lashed out again.
But Wi Seol-ah was faster.
Whoosh—!!

Before the lightning could reach her, she recalled her sword to her hand.
Swish—!! Slash-slash-slash—!!
She swung at blinding speed, slicing apart the incoming lightning bolts.

“...”
It was relentless.
There wasn’t even time to breathe.

The spectators, who had been screaming earlier, were now silent, holding their breath as they watched.
‘Seriously…’
Why were they fighting so desperately over a deputy commander position?

‘Weren’t they close friends?’
They had seemed to get along well enough before.
So why were they fighting like this?

I swallowed hard as I kept watching.
And then, I remembered what the Divine Doctor once told me—
“Close? Those two? Ha! Even a passing dog would laugh at that.”

It was after I saw them playing some silly game and commented that they seemed close.
The Divine Doctor had scoffed and said—
“That’s not what you call close.”

I hadn’t understood.
Anyone could see they were friends.
It felt so different from their past lives that I’d been content just watching them get along.

But now…
“Then what do you call it?”
 

When I asked the Divine Doctor about it, he added another explanation—
“What you’re seeing is nothing more than predators testing each other over prey.”
“…What?”

“If they fought recklessly, both would suffer losses, and the prey they’ve cornered might escape. So they’ve allied temporarily to keep it in reach. That’s all this is.”
“…What kind of nonsense is that? What prey?!”
Predators? Prey?

I couldn’t make sense of his cryptic words and pressed him for clarification.
“…”
He gave me an exasperated look, clearly unimpressed.

“Just keep living in your blissful ignorance. That seems to suit you.”
“…?”
His tone suggested he had given up on explaining, leaving me more frustrated than before.

Even now, my thoughts hadn’t changed.
‘Predators? Seriously?’
They’re more like cats and dogs bickering than predators fighting over prey.

They were probably just obsessed with the deputy commander position—that’s all.
I sighed, brushing off the bizarre analogy.
“…Haa.”

I was barely holding back from stepping in, just as they had ordered me not to.
But even my patience was wearing thin.
‘This is getting seriously dangerous.’

Their injuries were starting to pile up.
As their stamina drained, the fight’s end drew closer—and with it, the chance of something catastrophic happening.
And then—

‘Once they’re cornered, they might use their hidden trump cards.’
For now, they seemed to be holding back, but that could change at any moment.
Frowning deeply, I stayed alert, ready to intervene the moment things went too far.

I clenched my fists, watching closely—
Swoosh—! Clang!!
“Ugh!”

Wi Seol-ah’s right arm jerked up, her breath hitching.
She had lost her balance, unable to fully block Namgung Bi-ah’s relentless assault.
Her sword flew high, leaving her stance wide open.

It was the perfect opportunity for an attack.
Namgung Bi-ah didn’t hesitate.
Boom—!!

She stomped down hard, her body coiling like a spring.
Crackle—!!!
Lightning Qi surged and compressed, a devastating finisher in the making.

At this range, dodging was impossible.
So—
Fwoosh—!

Wi Seol-ah made her choice.
“Damn it.”
If she couldn’t dodge, she’d have to change the situation.

The golden aura around her shifted, tinged with pale white.
It wasn’t fully formed yet, but it was clear—
This was dangerous.

‘Shit.’
Seeing it, I immediately prepared to intervene.
I hadn’t stopped this fight earlier, and now it was spiraling out of control.

Crack.
My foot dug into the ground as I gathered strength for a high-speed leap.
Tense—!!

My muscles swelled, preparing to launch me straight into the middle of the fight—
And then—
“…Huh?”

I froze.
I was about to leap but suddenly couldn’t move.
Because—

Thud—! Thud-thud—!
“…Huh?!”
“What the—?!”

Both Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah collapsed onto the ground.
The reason?
At the last moment, both of them had been punched in the jaw.

Squarely.
They passed out, their bodies hitting the dirt in sync.
And standing between them—

The one who stopped the fight—
Was a slender figure with green hair.
“Hoo!”

The Tang Clan’s Poison Queen—Tang So-yeol.
Standing triumphantly, hands on her hips, she looked down at the unconscious fighters and declared—
“I did it!”

“…”
She looked ridiculously proud of herself.